Matthew Lillard and Blythe Danner Addiction Drama Wins 4th Annual SeriesFest Pilot Competition — Exclusive

SeriesFest, the international television festival dedicated to showcasing the best and boldest emerging voices in television, revealed the winners of this year’s international pilot competition at a closing reception today in Denver. Chief among the winners was “Halfway There,” which took home the prize for best independent dramatic pilot a well as the audience award. Created by Nick Morton and Rick Roesnthal, “Halfway There” stars Matthew Lillard as a sober addict running a rehabilitation facility, and Blythe Danner as his alcoholic mother whom he is forced to treat.

“The quality of content selected for this year’s International Pilot Competition was simply unmatched. We are encouraged by the diverse perspectives represented, and in awe of each and every creator who took part in our festival,” said SeriesFest co-founders Randi Kleiner and Kaily Smith-Westbrook in a statement.

Many independent projects that debuted at SeriesFest have gone on to score production deals, including “Truth Slash Fiction,” which was picked up by Lionsgate, “Con Man,” which was picked up by Syfy, and “Dr. Illegal,” which was adapted into a new drama series by Gina Rodriguez and CBS.

IndieWire has the exclusive list of all the winners below.

Independent Pilot — Drama
Best Pilot: Halfway There (Creators: Nick Morton & Rick Rosenthal)
Best Director: Niv Samban, Katharsis
Best Writer: Niv Samban, Katharsis
Best Actress: Shanice Williams, Manic
Best Actor: Nicholas Hope, Jade of Death

Independent Pilot — Comedy
Best Pilot: Greenport (Creators: Tony Spiridakis, Shannon Goldman)
Best Director: Gabriel Sunday, Dope State
Best Writer: James Lafferty and Stephen Colletti, Everyone Is Doing Great
Best Actress: Jenn Harris, New York is Dead
Best Actor: Gabriel Sunday, Dope State
Honorable Mention: Patrick Reilly, Danny the Manny

Audience Award Winner: Halfway There
Best Digital Short Series & Independent Pilot/Unscripted: She’s The Ticket (Creator/Director: Nadia Hallgren)
Best Digital Short/Scripted: Hug It Out (Creator/Writer: Kincaid Walker)
Digital Short Series Audience Award: Please Understand Me (Creators/Writers: Ahamed Weinberg & Steven Feinartz)
Best Late Night Series: The Passage (Creator: Philip Burgers)
Bustle Best Emerging Female Creator: Kincaid Walker, Hug It Out
Bustle Best Emerging Female Creator: Deja Harrell & C.J. Thomas, Seeds
Best Script: Volunteer (Creator/Writer: Paige VanTassell)
Pitch-A-Thon Winner: Juciful (Creators: Will Carrington & Jake Goicoechea)

For full descriptions of all participants and projects, you can visit the SeriesFest website.